HANS: Where do you come from?
JIM: I come from England.
HANS: What's the climate like in your country?
Jim: It's mild, but it's not always pleasant.
Jim: The weather's often cold in the North and windy in the East. It's often wet in the West and sometimes warm in the South.
Hans: Which seasons do you like best?
Jim: I like spring and summer. The days are long and the nights are short. The sun rises early and sets late. I don't like autumn and winter. The days are short and the nights are long. The sun rises late and sets early. Our climate is not very good, but it's certainly interesting. It's our favorite subject of conversation.
-
in the North=in the north of England.
North的首字母大写，是因为它单独使用，特指英国的北部。表示一个国家或地区的方位词一般要大写。本课中的方位词均表示国家的一部分：- in the East 在东部
- in the West 在西方
- in the South 在南方
但是，仅仅表示方位意义的方位词不需大写。如：
- a north wind 北风
- a south window 南窗
Which seasons do you like best? 你最喜欢哪些季节？
句中的best是副词well的最高级，作状语，修饰like。The sun rises early and sets late. 太阳升得早而落得晚。
句中的early和late都是副词，分别修饰动词rises和sets，作状语。注意the sun中定冠词的用法。在英语中，表示世界上独一无二的东西（如太阳、月亮、世界、地球、天空、宇宙）的名词之前通常需加定冠词。favourite subject of conversation, 最喜欢谈论的话题。
英国人见面时谈话通常是从天气开始的。一方面这与英国的自然地理情况有关，另一方面则与英国人的民族性格有关。谈论天气是任何人都可接受的话题，而且这可避免介入令人尴尬的或侵入私人领域的话题。
